


Coping Methods

by McFluri (Weisel)



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-08 23:57:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17990975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weisel/pseuds/McFluri
Summary: Yuri and Flynn have a few misconceptions to clear up.Post-game, mostly Fluri with mild Yudith.





	1. Chapter 1

“Yuri, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.”

“What is it, commandant?” Judging by the lack of reaction to the title, Yuri knew something was bothering Flynn. He leaned back against Flynn’s desk and crossed his arms. “Must be pretty serious.” 

Flynn hesitated and glanced down. “It’s… not exactly serious, just…” He cleared his throat before continuing. “Judith said something the other day that, well… It gave the impression that you two…”

 

 _“Your form’s a little sloppy.”_  

_Yuri glanced over his shoulder to see Judith walking his way, then swung his sword again. She was right._

_“Distracted?” she asked._

_Right again._

_“You could say that,” Yuri replied, his jaw clenched._

_“It’s him, isn’t it?”_

_Yuri paused but didn’t answer._

_“Perhaps I could help…?”_

_Yuri huffed and carelessly dropped his sword aside._

_They’d been through this before. They had an understanding, one that required very few words at this point. Sometimes he went to her. Sometimes she came to him. That’s all it ever was._

 

“Fucked?” Yuri finished for him.

Flynn quickly sat down at his desk and fussed with a stack of papers, blushing deeply. “Were lovers,” he corrected, his voice slightly higher than usual. 

Yuri snorted and watched Flynn anxiously tidy the already neat pile of paper. “‘Fucked’ is definitely more accurate.”

Flynn stopped and stared down at the document at the top of the stack in his hands, but his eyes didn’t follow the text. “That’s… So, you mean…”

“We’re not _still_ fucking, if that’s what you’re so worked up over,” Yuri said with a casual shrug.

Flynn opened his mouth, but no sound came out for a moment. He still wasn’t looking at Yuri. “But… why?”

Yuri shrugged again. “To blow off some steam, I guess. Judy and I are both the restless type.”

“Restless, yes, but…” Flynn trailed off and swallowed hard. “I just didn’t think that you…”

“Think that I… what?” Yuri asked, trying to hide his genuine curiosity with a casual tone. He didn’t do a great job of it, but Flynn seemed to be too caught up in his own thoughts to notice.

“I didn’t think that you were the type,” Flynn finished.

Yuri raised an eyebrow. “The type? That’s pretty vague,” he replied.

Flynn set down the papers, only to pick them up again a moment later. “I didn’t think you paid any attention to women. In a romantic sense, I mean.”

“Romantic?” Yuri repeated with a single laugh. “If you’re asking whether me and Judy were in love, the answer is a definite ‘no.’”

Flynn fell silent and returned to staring somewhere beyond the papers in his hands.

Yuri leaned down a couple inches, watching Flynn’s expression. “So…? Is that it?”

“I just… don’t understand,” Flynn replied, still not looking at Yuri. “If you weren’t in love, why did you…?”

 

_“You can say his name,” Judith murmured by his ear. Her fingers pressed in deeper._

_“Flynn,” Yuri groaned, clutching the grass in tight fists with his forehead against the ground._

_It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was the closest he was ever going to get. For the moment, he could let himself get caught up in the fantasy._

_“Th-There, yes— Oh, god, faster... Harder, Flynn…”_

_Yuri panted out the name over and over as beads of sweat fell from his temple. He imagined Flynn’s voice breathlessly saying his name in return and his body trembled. He was so close… so, so close…_

 

“Come on, you can say it. I’ve heard you say worse things before. You’re off duty, anyway,” Yuri scoffed. He waited for Flynn to finish his sentence, then gave up after a moment and sighed. “Part of why I never brought it up is because I knew you wouldn’t understand. Your version of stress relief is scrubbing floors.”

Flynn hesitated again. “But if you weren’t in love, how…?”

Yuri snorted out a laugh. “You know, for someone who sucks at romance, you sure do have a romantic heart.”

“Do you mean that… you don’t feel anything when you…” Flynn swallowed hard again and Yuri realized he was trying not to tear up.

 

 _Judith left a featherlight kiss on the side of Yuri’s head, then walked away without another word. They’d usually look at the stars and talk after these nighttime meetings, but tonight was different and they both knew it._  

_Yuri sighed, mentally thanking Judith for her perceptiveness. He rolled onto his back and blinked up at the sky. Coming back to reality had been a bitter pill to swallow, one that left tears in his eyes. Without restless frustration running through his veins like liquid fire, he was left with the empty space in his chest that somehow felt heavier than lead._

_Flynn was far away, more out of reach than ever. He’d never have Flynn. He’d never deserve Flynn._

_But his heart just wouldn’t let go._

 

“It depends on the person,” Yuri replied. For Flynn’s sake, he was willing to be completely open and honest, at least for just a moment. “With Judy, it was a coping method more than anything.” He wanted to add that it’d be far from that with Flynn, but that was still foreign territory for them.

“You didn’t want your first time to be special?” Flynn asked, his voice softer than before.

“Judy wasn’t my first,” Yuri scoffed. “Seemed pointless to wait around for something I never thought would happen.”

Flynn didn’t respond.

Yuri looked at Flynn, then turned his gaze elsewhere and pretended he didn’t notice how watery Flynn’s eyes were. “Don’t tell me you were saving yourself for me,” he teased, nudging Flynn’s shoulder with an elbow.

Still, Flynn didn’t say a word.

Yuri crossed his arms tightly over his chest. “Come on, you’re not _that_ old fashioned, are you?”

“I suppose I am,” Flynn said tightly and forced out a small laugh.

Yuri swallowed hard and looked down at his feet. “It wouldn’t be any less special for me,” he admitted. 

Finally, _finally,_ Flynn looked up at him. “What?”

Yuri smiled at Flynn, then leaned down and pressed a light kiss to his lips. He pulled back and bumped a fist against Flynn’s head. “I can’t believe they made such a blockhead _commandant.”_

Flynn let out a small laugh, then another one. He turned his head away and wiped at his eyes with a finger while Yuri looked at the ceiling and pretended not to see the subtle movement. They’d always allowed each other to have moments of weakness without making a fuss over it.

“You know, part of why I didn’t want you to leave the knights was because I thought maybe things were going to change,” Flynn said.

Yuri raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Flynn had meant, but he instinctively dismissed it as a false hope. “Again with the vagueness,” he replied.

Flynn took a deep breath and stared ahead. “I thought… maybe we’d be where we are now years ago.”

“You’re kidding me,” Yuri said, his throat suddenly feeling tight. So that’s what Flynn had meant by “a while” when he’d confessed his feelings not so long ago.

“I was still trying to work up the nerve to tell you, and then you told me you wanted to leave the knights. I wanted what was best for you,” Flynn admitted. 

“Fucking hell,” Yuri muttered and blinked up at the ceiling, feeling his eyes sting. He tried to laugh away the ache in his chest. “I might’ve actually stayed if you’d told me.”

“Yuri, would—”

“No, I’m not going back to the knights. You’re about three years too late for that,” Yuri replied shortly.

Flynn sighed. “It was worth a try.”

Yuri glanced down at Flynn for a second and noticed the faraway look in his eyes. “...I only would’ve held you back if I’d stayed. I was just a distraction that kept getting you into trouble.”

“You always talk about yourself like that, Yuri,” Flynn said, shaking his head to himself. “And you know it’s not true.”

“I don’t know about that, but I _do_ know this conversation isn’t going to get anywhere,” Yuri replied.

Flynn furrowed his eyebrows. “Then why bring it up at all?” he asked.

“I’m telling you not to regret what happened… or what didn’t happen,” Yuri said.

“How can I not?”

Yuri blinked and looked down at Flynn again. “What?”

Flynn put his head in his hand and laughed quietly as tears began to dot the pristine papers on the desk. “Yuri, I…” He let out another breathy laugh. “I missed you so damn much.”

Yuri turned his head away and hunched his shoulders slightly, his hair falling forward and obscuring his face from Flynn’s view. He smiled, but it wasn’t enough to hold back his own tears as Flynn continued.

“I knew we both were doing what we had to do, but… I don’t know if that made it any better or worse.” Flynn’s shoulders shook with his silent sobs. “I missed you every single day.”

“Oh, shut up already,” Yuri said quietly, his voice cracking a little. He felt like something was squeezing his heart with a painfully tight grip. “I get it. You wish I’d stayed in the knights.” 

“That’s not—”

“I know, I know.” Yuri let out a shaky sigh and closed his eyes. It was in his nature to be difficult, but he really did understand. After a moment, he uncrossed his arms and felt his fingers intertwine with Flynn’s the second he reached over. They didn’t need to talk about this anymore. They both just needed a minute.

After a while, Yuri felt Flynn’s fingers squeeze his hand and he squeezed back. He straightened up a bit and looked over at Flynn, then snickered. “Your nose is red,” he teased.

Letting go of Yuri’s hand, Flynn blushed and pinched the bridge of his nose to conceal it. “What? No, it’s not,” he quickly said, which only made Yuri laugh more. “Is it— Does it do that every time?” he asked.

Yuri snorted. “Every time,” he confirmed.

“Shit,” Flynn whispered, looking down at his desk and blushing even more.

“No point in hiding it now. Your whole face is just as red now.”

Flynn uncovered his nose and gave Yuri an annoyed look.

Yuri grinned back. “It’s kind of cute.”

“Please, spare me,” Flynn said, rolling his eyes.

Yuri was enjoying this game of making Flynn blush, so he asked the question that had been on his mind for several minutes. “So, how did you imagine our first time would go?”

Somehow, Flynn’s face burned even more and he stammered, “Wh-What are you—”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Flynn let out a slow exhale and glanced away. “Um, well… We’d probably be—”

“No,” Yuri said, cutting him off. _“Show_ me.”


	2. Chapter 2

Flynn blinked. “What?”

“You heard me. Show, don’t tell,” Yuri replied.

Flynn hesitated, then retrieved two wooden practice swords from the several weapons that lined one of the walls. He tossed one over to Yuri, took a couple steps forward, and raised his sword.

“Sparring?” Yuri grinned and automatically widened his stance. “I’m pretty sure I’ve had this dream more than once.”

Flynn lunged forward and Yuri easily blocked him. Yuri was about to chastise him for attacking like an amateur, but then he realized the move had been quite intentional. He adjusted his grip slightly and leaned a little more of his weight forward, matching the way he’d fought before leaving the knights. He swung his sword, leaving a small opening that Flynn would easily find now, but not when they were younger. Flynn’s eyes darted toward that precise opening, but he didn’t take the opportunity. That was enough confirmation for Yuri to know he was right. Flynn was taking them back to when they’d first joined the knights.

Yuri pushed forward with another swing, which Flynn blocked. They were evenly matched, but this time, Yuri had every intention of letting Flynn win. He let one of the attacks land, though it was barely more than a tap as Flynn stopped short, seeming to snap out of the act. Before he could say anything to break character, Yuri dropped the wooden sword with a loud clatter and lunged forward to tackle Flynn. With that, Flynn was back into it.

As they tussled, Yuri gave chance after chance for Flynn to immobilize him. Then he realized exactly what the next part of this little fantasy had to be. With a mischievous grin, Yuri abruptly pinned Flynn to the floor. As expected, Flynn didn’t resist.

“I forfeit,” Flynn said breathlessly.

“You forfeit?” Yuri noticed Flynn’s hands were trembling and he tightened his grip on Flynn’s wrists. “I’m not falling for it. You let me win, and now you’re going to take a cheap shot as soon as I let go. Maybe I really _am_ a bad influence on you.”

“I did let you win, but I’m not going to do that,” Flynn said. He wasn’t the greatest actor, so Yuri knew the earnest look in Flynn’s eyes wasn’t fake.

“Then why’d you let me win? Out of pity?” Yuri scoffed and let go of Flynn.

As soon as Flynn’s hands were free, one was on Yuri’s waist and the other slipped behind Yuri’s neck. His touch was gentle and loving, a stark difference from only a moment ago. Yuri felt an unexpected shiver run down his spine.

“Because…” Flynn hesitated as though he really believed his next words could change the entire course of their friendship.

Yuri leaned into Flynn’s touch ever so slightly as a wordless reminder that he already had Yuri’s heart.

“Because I like having you close,” Flynn finished.

Yuri snorted out a laugh and rolled his eyes. “We share a room, dumbass.”

“Because I like _feeling_ you close,” Flynn replied, then swallowed hard. “Yuri… please,” he said hoarsely.

Yuri wasn’t sure if he would’ve been convinced as his younger self that this was an invitation, but this was Flynn’s fantasy, not reality. He tried to channel a more confident version of who he’d been back then, one who wasn’t too scared to show exactly how he felt, and leaned down to eagerly kiss Flynn. It was far from how their kisses had played out before. Usually they didn’t linger for more than a few seconds, and they certainly never involved any tongue… or teeth.

Flynn gasped and shuddered as Yuri bit down on his neck, just enough to make it sting. “Yuri,” he breathed.

Yuri kissed the spot he’d just bitten and smirked against the skin there. If Flynn was going to react like that every time, Yuri would make those high collars became an absolute necessity.

“Y-Yuri, Yuri,” Flynn stammered.

Yuri pulled back and looked down at Flynn. “Too much?”

Flynn quickly shook his head and wrapped his arms around Yuri’s waist to keep him in place. “Yuri, I don’t want this to be something that happens once and we forget about it. I want…” He took a deep breath and continued. “I want to make love to you. And then I want to do it again and again and again…”

An intoxicating rush of fire and lust coursed through Yuri’s veins. He couldn’t keep up the act, not right this second. “Fuck, Flynn, just let me suck you off already,” he groaned and tried to slip free from Flynn’s hold.

Flynn made a sound that was far more fitting for a virgin than a commandant and flushed a deep red. “N-Not for our first time!”

Yuri was in no mood to argue. “Got any gels?” he asked.

Flynn blinked. “What?”

“Unless you have something better for lube.”

Flynn let go and watched Yuri stand up. “Um, r-right. There are some over there in the…” He trailed off, watching Yuri dig some out of the nightstand drawer. “We could do this on the bed instead of the floor.”

“Bed?” Yuri returned to the act as well as his position on top of Flynn. “There’s not enough space in our room to be sparring.”

“What? Oh, right.” Flynn hesitated, eyeing the gels in Yuri’s hand.

The uncertainty in Flynn’s eyes confirmed Yuri’s suspicion that he had no idea how to go about actually having sex. Yuri was too impatient to tease Flynn over it, so he went right to dealing with his pants. He pulled them down to his thighs and leaned forward onto one hand. Yuri noticed how unsure Flynn still seemed, so he adjusted his position and pinned Flynn’s hands to the floor above his head, though his grip was loose.

“I don’t need your help, Flynn,” Yuri snapped.

Flynn blinked in surprise, then smiled and visibly relaxed. “Right. Sorry.”

“You’re always bossing me around,” Yuri continued as he reached behind himself. “You never let me do anything myself. But not this time.” His annoyed tone faded away and his eyes slid shut as he prepared himself.

“You’re so beautiful, Yuri.”

Yuri opened his eyes and his mouth gaped slightly. Flynn’s softly spoken compliments always caught him off guard. For a moment, he completely forgot what he was doing.

Flynn slipped his hands out of Yuri’s hold and pulled the belt loose from Yuri’s waist. “Every time I look at you, I feel so warm,” he murmured as he worked Yuri’s shirt open.

Yuri trembled as he finished stretching himself and he struggled with Flynn’s pants, his hands shaking badly. Every slight brush of Flynn’s fingers against his skin felt like a spark and Flynn’s gentle voice seeped into his brain like a drug.

“Let me do this much,” Flynn said and took the gel from Yuri’s hand. He closed his eyes as his hand slowly worked the gel over his erection and he took a deep, steadying breath.

Yuri watched with hungry eyes, then grabbed Flynn’s wrist and moved Flynn’s hand out of the way.

“Yuri—”

“I’ve wanted this for so fucking long. Don’t make me wait another second,” Yuri panted as he positioned himself over Flynn.

Together, they slid into place. The fullness he’d longed for along with the moan Flynn let out was almost enough to make Yuri come right then and there. He pressed his forehead against Flynn’s shoulder and tried to calm down.

“Please, Yuri… I want to look at you.”

Yuri pushed himself back up and tried to move, but his body refused to cooperate. He breathed out a laugh and ducked his head down. Flynn lifted Yuri’s chin and tucked his hair back out of his face. Yuri closed his eyes and smiled wryly. Flynn’s fingers brushed against his cheek and he knew it was Flynn’s way of wordlessly saying, _“Look at me.”_

“I need you to do this,” Yuri admitted quietly, barely able to meet Flynn’s gaze.

Flynn moved his hands to Yuri’s waist, supporting him with a strong hold, then lifted his hips in a slow, experimental motion. Yuri gasped and his arms nearly gave out beneath him. Flynn repeated the action again and again, picking up speed. Had Flynn not asked to see his face, Yuri would’ve melted against Flynn’s chest and let himself be swallowed up by the sensations.

“Yuri—”

“Flynn,” Yuri responded breathlessly, unable to stop himself from smiling. He never thought he’d get to hear Flynn’s voice call his name like that.

Without any warning, Yuri sat up and arched his back slightly, grasping Flynn’s wrists for support. He’d damned if he let himself be nothing but a trembling, whimpering mess the entire time. He took a steadying breath and looked down at Flynn with an intense gaze.

“Harder.”

Flynn obeyed.

Yuri felt weaker than ever as he shivered with pleasure. There was no way he’d last, not when he’d been aching for this moment for years. His body raced toward that finish line and there was no slowing down.

“Flynn, Flynn, yes, _Flynn, ah—!”_

Yuri’s head tipped back and every muscle in his body tensed for a moment. He was there, right at the peak of pleasure with Flynn’s rapid thrusts carrying him through to his release. With a shameless cry of Flynn’s name, he came.

Flynn couldn’t have been far behind. Yuri bent forward and leaned his weight on his elbows, making each thrust easier for Flynn and giving himself a chance to regain some composure. It was difficult to calm down when Flynn’s face was so close to his, though. He’d never seen Flynn wear such a lustful expression before, and it was absolutely beautiful.

“Flynn—”

_“Yuri!”_

Flynn squeezed his eyes shut and held tight to Yuri, moaning with every final, rough thrust. Then the only sound in the room was their overlapping, panting breaths. Once Flynn’s grip relaxed, Yuri leaned back against Flynn’s bent knees and looked down at him with a half-lidded gaze.

Flynn shook his head slightly, like he couldn’t believe what had just happened. “You’re amazing, Yuri,” he breathed.

Yuri grinned and looked away. “Oh, shut up. You did all the work.”

Flynn reached out for Yuri. “Please, let me hold you.”

Yuri looked down at Flynn again and his heart skipped a beat. He settled down on top of Flynn, their chests pressed together and pounding heartbeats colliding. Flynn’s arms wrapped around Yuri in a warm embrace and Yuri felt himself melt a little more.

“I love you,” Flynn murmured, his breath tickling Yuri’s skin.  
  
It was such a cliché thing to say, but Yuri didn’t expect anything else from Flynn. He didn’t _want_ anything else from Flynn. He pressed a kiss to Flynn’s jaw and smiled, then whispered back, “I love you, too.”


End file.
